An IPL Semi Final at the Champions League – RBC vs. CSK

A cracker of a semi final awaits today where Kumble’s Bangalore will take on Dhoni’s Chennai. While much has been said about Chennai on paper, they have exposed some chinks this tournament.

Bangalore’s batting on the other hand has been a bit off color. Add to that a Kallis-shaped-hole, and the balance gets affected. Apart from Kohli and Dravid, the batsmen have not really lived up to their names. Uthappa has been a yo-yo behind the stumps.

One expects to see a decent match between two evenly matched sides!

Jai Bangalore!

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CSK vs. the Bushrangers – one heck of a match

Cricket is still alive! That was one hell of a match that went down to the wire, burnt the wire and proceeded to the Super Over. Chennai Super Kings’s tactics vs. the Aussies was a treat to watch. While many may take issue with Ashwin bowling the super over, I think Dhoni’s choice was a decent one. Maybe my choice would have been Raina, and yes, that’s a mighty gamble. But that’s the thing with gambles; if you pull it off it looks great, if you don’t it looks ridiculous.

Victoria Bushrangers did well to tie the match. Liked to see the spunk from Peter Siddle. The tournament is still alive for them as well. CSK’s aren’t in too much trouble, so this result opens up the table for their group a bit more. It’ll be interesting to see who makes it.

Having said all that, I think the tied result needs to stay that way even in a T20. It’s a significant result with a special meaning.

India’s tour of SL: Laxman leads India to victory; series level

In a scintilating day of Test cricket, fans of this form of the game revelled in its beauty and unpredictability. Test cricket is alive and kicking, folks. All one needs is a good pitch (and not to mention decent bowlers). After several months, I watched nearly the whole day of the proceedings, like one would watch a limited over game.

When Tendulkar and Laxman came out to bat needing over 200 runs to score, it was easy to write India off, specially with the abysmal fourth innings record we have had. Apart from Adelaide 2003, and in the 2008 (Chennai?) Test, we haven’t chased and won a Test in the last decade. Year 2008 involved a blinding Sehwagian innings to setup the victory; Year 2003 was a long time ago; Dravid and Laxman were in their prime. Laxman proved that today, he still is! Battling pain and nerves, he batted like a champion that he is, scored a sedate century and saw India through. I must admit that while Laxman was batting, I was never worried that he might get out. So calm and assured was the stroke play that if one hadn’t known about the back spasm and didn’t see the runner, one wouldn’t know that there was something wrong. He played his classing “knock-the-outside-off-legside” stroke, only to score regularly and almost single handedly win it for India.

Special mention must also go to Suresh Raina. I must admit, I’m really turning into a fan. I’ve been very skeptical of his technique. It was a dream Test debut for him indeed. The true test will come in foreign conditions. If he can repeat this in either South Africa/England, he will cement his place and have usurped Yuvraj “very fat” Singh for good.

Congratulations, Laxman and India!

T20 World Cup 2010: The miracle called Hussey

When Australia were 58-3 chasing 190-odd, I gave up hope and went to catch up on some sleep. God, do I regret that! What I missed was an innings (raw or not) befitting a World Cup semi final. This is the same Hussey who was struggling for Chennai Super Kings. I don’t begrudge that, not one day! For these special innings are sweetest when saved for one’s own country.

Way to go, Hussey. It’s not without reason that they call you Mr. Cricket!

Are the India-floppers (a.k.a the India T20 team) reading the news? This is how it’s done!

IPL 3 ends IPLGate begins

So the IPL 3 is finally over and CSK have won. But the cat-fight between Lalith Modi and BCCI has just begun. Throw in a few cabinet ministers and a intelligent, good looking, foreign educated ousted one with an attractive friend and you’ve got something that’ll do more to ad revenue than perhaps even the IPL final.

Honestly I’m quite ambivalent about the whole saga surrounding the IPL. Modi is perhaps getting more than his due for the heavy handedness that he’s personified, the BCCI may escape without getting it’s due of rotten tomatoes and worse.

On the other hand, it is sad that India and Indian cricket’s image is taking a hit; its face is now marred again with the soot of corruption and match fixing. Whether people admit it or not (for fear of BCCI’s financial clout), the skepticism surround match-fixing that was almost buried after the Sharjah era is in all fairness back. It is now almost ok to ask if the final was fixed and whether that was part of the reason for sending Pollard in down the order. But it is also baffling. Perhaps that is why I fell asleep half way through Mumbai’s innings maybe it was too lacklustre to be true (but I made up by watching the entire post match ceremony till 2 am).

This time it will take longer to douse the suspicions. But life will go on. With the T20 World Cup only days away, even before the withdrawal syndrome sets in, we’ll be discussing why Dale Steyn isn’t overrated.